Are you ready to experience a personal training conference made just for you? Then join us at the IDEA World Personal Trainer Convention. This special collection of 150+ educational sessions—designed for personal trainers—is a subset of the 27th annual IDEA World Fitness Convention™—the world’s largest and longest-running fitness convention.

Your registration also includes access to select sessions from our other categories, including: group fitness, cycling, mind-body and specialty areas such as nutrition and career development.

If you attend this conference and are not completely satisfied, we’ll offer you a money back guarantee.

THE CHALLENGE!—This year, medals will be awarded throughout the educational sessions for physical, mental and inspirational challenges. Medal winners will receive prizes and special recognition throughout the convention.

Keynote address by Apolo Ohno, the most decorated American Winter Olympian and author of Zero Regrets, as he shares the inspiring story behind his success

Meet Dr. Daniel Amen, author of 28 books including The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off and Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, star of five PBS specials, physician, professor, and CEO of Amen Clinics, Inc. Dr. Amen will show you how to create greater health for you and your clients

Pay tribute to Jack LaLanne as IDEA presents the inaugural Jack LaLanne Award to be accepted by Elaine LaLanne

Successful weight loss requires 24/7 focus. Learn how to teach your clients behavioral strategies they can use to manage cravings, control portion sizes, eliminate mindless eating and stay motivated outside of their training sessions. Walk away ready to teach your clients new tricks on how to modify eating behaviors in order to successfully tip the scales in their favor!

Get the latest research on spontaneous physical exercise and high-intensity interval training. You will walk away with information on the hormonal regulation of lipolysis during physical activity and exercise, the effect of exercise on fat oxidation, the effect of the glycemic index on fat metabolism, exercise intensities necessary for fat loss, and strategies to enhance caloric expenditure with physical activity. Learn six innovative exercise programs that maximize caloric expenditure and 10 different metabolic boosters of spontaneous exercise. Find out how to complete specific metabolic profiling for your clients!

Objective research has been in for some time: physiological responses to using the right machines not only improves strength, but also improves function! Due to the myths perpetuated by a large biased segment of the industry, few trainers have learned how to strategically integrate body-weight exercises and machines, or the basics on customizing the set-up and use of various machines for their clients. If you work with a broad range of clients, machines can be your best tools at very specific points in progression and for specific goals. You won't believe how many variations can be created on a single machine when you understand exercise mechanics! (This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Session 142 is recommended, but not required as a prerequisite to this session.)

Learn to apply sports skill developmental milestones to improve performance for youth. Explore important aspects of motor skills, aerobic maturation, visual progression and mental development as they apply to training activities for different ages and skill levels. Review current research on the ability of training and strengthening to increase performance and reduce injuries. Learn and experience over 15 developmentally appropriate skills and drills to improve athleticism in youth. (This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Session 140 is recommended, but not required as a prerequisite to this session.)

Accurate hands-on cuing is essential in order to be an effective fitness trainer. Not only do your verbal cues need to be congruent, but your touch must be accurate as well. This workshop will guarantee an elevated effectiveness in your sessions with clients, and refine your skills to a new level of sophistication and efficiency.

How many lectures on corrective exercise have you attended but you still don't know what to do first to help get your clients out of pain? You've probably learned so many assessments and exercises that are supposed to work, but don't know how to put all this information together into a cohesive program. This interactive session will teach you the precise steps and the exact order you should follow when helping clients in pain.

Learn innovative new programming on the STOTT PILATES Reformer and Cardio-Tramp. This workout, designed to stimulate both cardiovascular and muscular effectiveness, is ideal for both the recreational and professional athlete. Discover how to combine progressive plyometric intervals varying both in length and intensity, with muscular strength and endurance moves on the vertical mini trampoline. The routine features nontraditional Pilates exercises that use the incredible diversity of the reformer to effectively train both concentric and eccentric muscular ability.

Boost your knowledge of the heart rate training foundation of the Spinning program. Travel through the Spinning Energy Zones in a ride that will take you seamlessly through all five zones while distinguishing each zone's unique characteristics. This is a great session for new instructors, as well as experienced instructors who need a fresh look at the Spinning Energy Zones.

The circuit challenge is a heart-pounding, full-body workout that uses the Keiser indoor cycles, striders and resistance equipment for an efficient and effective workout. This class is designed for all participant levels and incorporates muscle conditioning and high-intensity cardio intervals to challenge participants to push to their full potential. Taught to great music and with seamless transitions, this workout is sure to inspire! (This session is presented in a workout format as session 516.)

Nearly 80% of active adults will incur pain due to common, repetitive strain patterns of everyday living. Over the past decade, research has increased our understanding of muscle function and the role of connective tissue regarding joint integrity and postural longevity, leading to the development of new evidence-based approaches. The MELT Living-Body Model™ considers the evidence and the interplay of multiple systems to define how chronic pattern pain can be treated through Hands-Off Bodywork™.
The Unstable Pelvis, Level I course reviews the recent advances in neurofascial science regarding pelvic stability and presents applications for whole-body assessment, strategy and long-term treatment based on an integrated, applicable model. Using MELT reconnect, repattern and reintegration techniques and stabilization exercises, you will learn how to efficiently address common neurofascial dysfunction and improve chronic pattern pain within the pelvic girdle.
1-hour lunch is on your own.
Workshop price includes manual, MELT roller and a mini MELT Hand and Foot Treatment Kit.
Continuing education credits are pending.
By Sue Hitzmann, MS

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of time and knowledge it takes to keep up with everything happening in cyberspace? Still unconvinced that it can have a dramatic impact on your business? Join leading fitness and business expert, Fit Life Coach Chalene Johnson as she provides social media information that can dramatically increase your business growth and potential. Learn the latest dos and don’ts and how to create an online presence in less than 30 minutes a day. It’s time to dig in and get ahead of the game!
1-hour lunch is on your own.
Continuing education credits are pending.
By Chalene Johnson

This interactive workshop demonstrates how simple tools can expand the options available in any Matwork™ class. Learn select exercises from the STOTT PILATES Matwork repertoire incorporating the Arc Barrel, the Fitness Circle® resistance ring and the Flex-Band® exerciser. Find out how you can use these props to challenge the core and periphery and aid in developing a program for all ability levels. Learn to utilize these tools to challenge or facilitate movements in flexion, lateral flexion or extension, or to target core and peripheral muscle with ingenuity and variety. You’ll also discover useful tips on the application of exercises and modifications for specific body types, fitness levels and special needs, as well as learn cues and corrections for safety and effectiveness.
Approved for 0.4 STOTT PILATES CECs. Continuing educations credits from other agencies are pending.
By Sally Belanger

Get ready to be wowed! IMG Academies and Under Armour have joined forces to develop Combine360 (C360). This revolutionary, comprehensive athletic assessment platform establishes the global measurement standard for sports performance. It measures and records sport-specific movement ability, character, nutritional awareness, ability to communicate and a variety of other performance indicators that are critical to the vibrant, active life your clients desire. Come learn the science behind C360, the trade secrets to implementing valid assessments, and a business pathway to monetize testing for adult clients, athletes and teams. Take advantage of this unusual opportunity—trainers can usually only experience the C360 program as a full 2-day C360 certification. Get a head start and be on your way to using C360 training to help grow your business and inspire clients.
In this introductory course, you will:
1. Learn the need for challenge-based training for kids, athletes and active adults, and which tests are most important.
2. Get an overview of the specific sport-performance indicators upon which the C360 measurement system is based.
3. Experience several C360 tests and get tips on how to make the tests valid, replicable and professional.
4. Get tips on how to create a business model that supports testing and challenge-based training.
Here’s your chance to distinguish yourself and make a strong brand statement by offering an inspirational program that will activate and ignite clients of all ages. Help them to see their potential, and boost your business in the process.
Continuing education credits from agencies are pending.
By Todd Durkin, MA, Christopher Mohr, PhD, RD, Angus Mugford, PhD, Peter Twist, MSc, C360 Faculty

We all seem to agree that we live and move in a three-dimensional world, but what does it look like and what does that do for you as a trainer? What is science now showing us about how the body prefers to distribute forces placed on it, and how can you apply this to your clients? How does heart rate training benefit you and your clients? How can you use it to guide your programming to maximize hormonal responses in the body? What other tools and methods of training can you use to enhance your programs? Dive into the science of the human body to uncover key aspects of how movement can change your client. Learn how to apply practical systems to effectively make changes, and explore how different tools can make a massive impact on your programming strategies. If you are serious about your career, you won’t want to miss this!By Rodney Corn, MA, Michol Dalcourt, Scott Hopson

The Pilates reformer can be an outstanding tool to help trainers add precision and control to any group or individual workout. In this course, you will learn select exercises from the STOTT PILATES Essential Reformer repertoire with an emphasis on the purpose of the exercises, movement patterns, breath patterns and alignment. Learn more about the adjustments and safety concerns when working with the reformer, as well as the specific benefits of working with specialized spring-resistance equipment. You will explore how to progress from the Essential-level moves to the more complex and challenging Intermediate work. Take this opportunity to hone your observation skills and learn what to look for to determine a client’s readiness to progress. Discover the benefits of reformer training, including increasing strength mobility, developing core stability and improving the mind-body connection.
Approved for 0.4 STOTT PILATES CECs. Continuing educations credits from other agencies are pending.
By John Garey, MS

We know that it is important to have good posture, but do you really know how to identify "good" versus "bad" posture? Why is posture such an important issue? How does it affect us and our clients, both in and out of the gym? What can we do to improve our clients' postures? This session will explore the intricacies of posture and assessment by answering these questions and more. Learn when to refer out and what techniques you can employ to help bring your clients back to a state of optimal static and dynamic posture.

This workshop, featuring the Step360™ Pro, will push the athletic limit with a focus on two training phases: athletic performance and explosive power. Hit It Hard! will provide your clients with the experience of conditioning like an athlete using high-intensity routines designed specifically for personal training. Agility, acceleration and deceleration become the training methods of choice where increasing power output can make all the difference.

Turn fitness into sport! Learn the power of the CrossFit program and why it has been adopted by numerous strength and conditioning coaches, law enforcement, military, special ops forces and by over 2,000 CrossFit gyms worldwide. The 10 General Physical Skills will be defined, along with the fundamentals of CrossFit's programming, workout science and modalities. Gain a true appreciation of why power and speed are cornerstones to increasing work capacity in less time. Whether you are a coach, an athlete, or you simply want to learn the CrossFit basics, this will be an insightful and educational opportunity.

Thanks to the efforts of Pavel Tsatsouline and other former Eastern Bloc athletes and trainers, the Russian kettlebell has proven to be a solid fixture on the fitness scene. However, few fully appreciate the rehabilitative potential of this unique device. While some trainers are eager to "pile fitness on dysfunction" or simply hope to train around their client's neuromuscular imbalances, Tsatsouline has partnered with Gray Cook’s Functional Movement Systems™ (FMS) to create a system that addresses the need for rehabilitative and prehabilitative exercise. This session will integrate FMS concepts with specific kettlebell exercises so you can help your clients regain mobility and functionality.

196: 4 Top Guns, 4 Zones-Athletic Training That Brings It!

Back by popular demand! Join four top conditioning coaches as they bring you an authentic and effective fusion of their individual approaches to training. Learn some of their strategies and techniques for developing dynamic warm-ups and cutting-edge cool-downs. Experience speed, agility and deceleration training, strength and power development, and fast-paced metabolic conditioning at its finest. Vital information will be presented in each section focusing on the why behind the fun. Join the "big dawgs" in this amazing collaboration as they use equipment and methodology that is reshaping training and sport-performance workouts today. Don't miss it! Athlete Beware! The movement aspect of this session is very intense. It is recommended that participants possess a moderate-to-high degree of skill and fitness to participate

Powerful percussion and explosive Latin-inspired music and dance will excite you in this unique and sensational Drums Alive Latin Beats extravaganza. Drumming enhances neurological pathways to the brain, brings joy and offers an exhilarating experience to everyone! It is the perfect combination for burning fat and toning the entire body while providing increased neuromuscular coordination, balance, strength and flexibility as well as a sense of community. Get ready to have fun, let loose and drum wildly in this unforgettable fitness, dance and drumming party!

Did you know that the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double to over 70 million by 2040? This population grew up dancing. This population helped create the fitness industry as we know it today. And this population still has the energy and passion to move! Zumba Gold is specifically designed to take the exciting Latin and international dance rhythms created in the original Zumba program and bring them to the active older adult, the beginner exerciser and other populations.

The 55+ age group represents the fastest-growing segment within the fitness industry. They are characterized by a need to maintain functional autonomy and overall quality of life. The ACE Integrated Fitness Training model delivers a systematic approach, including age-appropriate assessments and programming that encompass physical, emotional, cognitive, social and behavioral parameters. Phase 1 addresses stability and mobility, the cornerstones to developing balance. Phase 2 restores functional independence through multiplanar movement training. These foundational phases will prepare your clients physiologically, cognitively and emotionally to face additional challenges as they progress to traditional training. (This session is the first of three parts; taking all three will culminate in a certificate of completion. Session 414 is Part 2 and session 523 is Part 3.)

Find out how to integrate realistic protocols and modalities on weight management, exercise, diet and behavioral change into a comprehensive model for intervention. Understand specific guidelines for establishing safe, compassionate and reasonable nutrition practices for clientele. Learn the proper quantities of protein, fat and carbohydrate intake to make a tremendous long-term difference for everyone! It's time to win at losing!

Attract new members, retain current membership and increase revenue with vibration training. In this session, you'll learn how whole-body vibration can provide a unique selling proposition through group exercise or as a personal training aid using the proTRAC™ system by Power Plate®.

The thoracic spine is a functional three-dimensional cage capable of reacting, compensating and causing significant reaction in all parts of the body. In fact, it is the CORE to core training. This course will cover a live demonstration of function, assessment and exercise recommendations specific to the thoracic spine. Explore the thoracic spine and its relationship to the whole client. This workshop encourages direct participation and interaction to enhance the ability to assess and address client function. It is designed for all fitness professionals and applies to all client populations.

Are body-weight training and manual resistance functional and appropriate ways to train? We crawl before we walk and walk before we run. We usually ride a bike before we drive a car. Yet for some reason, we enter the gym long before we have mastered our own body weight! The science behind body-weight training and manual resistance shows amazing results relative to skill transfer, proprioception, range of motion, balance and strength. This type of training has a very low rate of injury and is shown to enhance the five most basics skills of functional movement. Come learn countless progressions and regressions to suit any client, along with multiplanar exercises. Attack the central core like never before! This session utilizes the Lebert Equalizer and Buddy System™ and is sponsored by Lebert Fitness.

402: SPRI®: 360 Training-Turn It Up, Turn It Down: How to Progress and Regress Training Intensity

Find out how to meet the specific needs of all small-group circuit-training participants with just the right amount of intensity and variation. While working with the Step360™ Pro, uncover progression options to increase the total work, energy expenditure and regression options to simplify and orient movement quality, allowing less to be more. Trainers will learn the movements needed to reach all populations, along with an easy-to-learn way to assess and assign appropriate exercise options for all clients.

Are they tools or toys? Learn how to teach your clients to get the most from every exercise to enhance integrated strength, In this intensive workshop you will learn four goal driven, functional program designs that offers fast results. Plug and play program design that offers limitless options to create goal-driven strength and cross training for large group programming. Keep people coming back for more by mastering the use of your tools!

There is a common misperception in the fitness world that clients must have access to free weights, dumbbells and machines in order to experience significant strength-training results. Personal trainers recognize that body-weight training can be a powerful tool in any training arsenal. Suspension Training is simply one more tool to add to that arsenal. This session will focus on creating an assortment of training programs that not only enhance overall strength, but also have a profound effect on flexibility, balance, reaction and SAQ. Also, experience first-hand how you can create a metabolic effect by using just body weight and the TRX® Suspension Trainer™.

Core training is hot—both with clients and classes! Come and try the newest toys and techniques that are sure to wake up and torch your core to the max! First, you will work with the Core Transformer®, a product and high-intensity, interval training program that emphasizes 3-dimensional, multiplanar movement that maximally engages your core and the rest of your body too. Next, hop on the CoreFitnessRoller™ to further enhance your workout through a series of energizing movements that uniquely blend balance, fluid functional movement and resistance to create a one-of-a-kind total body challenge. Then, pick up the COREBAR® and start moving in this total body, high intensity, interval-based cardio and conditioning program with special focus on core integration. Finally, picture yourself as a tough boxer, graceful ballerina and hip street dancer with Piloxing®, a core-centric high-energy fusion of Pilates, boxing and dance. You won’t want to miss this special 4-in-1 class offering!

The BOSU Balance Trainer is the perfect accessory to complement a wide range of authentic Pilates exercises. Learn how to use the BOSU ball in one-to-one and group settings, and learn to accommodate the most advanced to the most beginning Pilates students/clients. Find out how you can incorporate the BOSU ball into mat classes, and use it in conjunction with other traditional Pilates accessories and equipment. Even if you don't have Pilates exercise experience, you will take home a library of new exercises designed to target the core and train the whole body!

How time flies when you're having fun! Petra looks back at the history of step and explores what we may have lost along the away, what we have learned through trial and error, and how we can mold history and present-day information to create a teaching module that will move us into the future. Revisit the heritage of step research and see how we can apply it to today's choreography. This session will be taught in a true workshop style. Please bring your notes with you so that together we can explore, create and then use the modules discussed in the session on Monday morning.

This class brings the fun back to fitness by combining high energy and motivating music with unique moves and combinations that allow Zumba participants to dance away their worries. Zumba is a fusion of Latin and international music and dance themes that come together to create a dynamic, exciting and effective fitness system! It is based on the principle that a workout should be fun and easy to do, and offers a complete breakdown of all basic rhythms and movements, demonstrating how each rhythm defines the movement. This workshop will show you how to merengue, salsa, cumbia and reggaeton—Zumba Fitness style!

Pump up the beat and rock the house with this power-packed dance extravaganza sure to get your heart pumping, your feet stomping and your body rocking. Drums Alive is different from every other workout you've tried before. It captures the essence of movement and rhythm and combines it with fun, yet delivers real fitness results! The choreography is designed to burn fat and tone the body as well as improve physical and mental fitness. Drums Alive combines traditional aerobic and toning movements with the powerful beat and rhythms of the drums. If you are up for a new adventure and want to feel like a musician, you will love this physical, emotional and spiritual celebration of rhythms.

Recovery may be the most overlooked aspect of exercise. Everyone seems to focus on how many minutes to bike, what heart rate to run, or how much weight to lift. Improvements in fitness, however, occur during the recovery period between workouts, not during the workout itself. Since the recovery period is so important to maximize gains in fitness, you and your clients can benefit from guidelines on how to optimally recover after workouts.

In this dynamic, informative session, you will see what it takes to develop a winning culture that breeds success and allows you to live the life of your dreams. Expect to learn top strategies and groundbreaking methods that will help you get long-term, lasting results. This session is perfect for club managers, directors and business owners who are primed and ready to build a better business.

Build challenge and diversity with this Level 4 Flex-Band® exerciser workshop. Learn how to challenge core and peripheral strength with the resistance provided by the Flex-Band and increase exercise intensity in the areas of neuromuscular coordination, balance, strength and flexibility. Find out how to offer exercise variations and options to motivate any group or private client.

Why practice yoga asanas? What is really happening on the inside? Why do poses get more complicated instead of less after we have practiced them for a period of time? Why are people drawn to specific postures and why does a yoga practice develop the mind and the body? In this workshop, get answers to these questions and uncover some of the secrets to the practice of yoga. Learn how to use these same secrets to make you a world-class yoga teacher!

Rarely do instructors get an opportunity to explore the necessary concept of "self-care," so often omitted from the information we need to know when preparing for certifications! Embark on an in-depth study of self-care and burnout avoidance that will include the fusion of mind-body applications, spa approaches, nourishment of the five senses, and internal healing and regeneration. This workshop will share several proven M.A.P.S. (Meditation, Affirmations and Asana, Pranayama and Sensory bombardment) to guide you toward this purpose. Most amazingly, this experience will address all of your senses and requires NO equipment to be effective.

This is the ride that's making your Schwinn® master trainer's classes go wild! Come and get everything you need to take it home and teach it as your own. You can expect world-class coaching, motivation and incredible energy. Your master trainer will break down all the components of the ride, including music, cuing, imagery and coaching techniques, to make it turnkey for you. This workshop is well worth the price of admission! (Repeated as sessions 316, 419 and 514.)

Experience a creative blend of the Spinning Energy Zones™ on the bike, and Bodyblade core training off of the bike! Alternating Spinning sets with Bodyblade sets, this workout combines the sweat and endorphins you love from Spinning with the full-body training you get with Bodyblade.